WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The weather in Maize Saturday was perfect for this year’s Polar Plunge.
The theme in Maize was “Together We Freeze.” Teams from nearby towns jumped into the water for Special Olympics Kansas.
One of the event organizers says people come out every year because the cause is important to them.
“Special Olympics is one of the things that helps these folks really connect with community and feel like they are a part of something they might have been excluded from,” Don Guidas with iHeart Radio said.
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Each team or individual that participates raises donations, then jumps into a freezing Kansas lake.
It’s not just Maize, though. There are eight Polar Plunges hosted across the state of Kansas. In Shawnee, a middle school class convinced their School Resource Officer to take the leap, and it may have made him a participant for life.
“A lot of the kids at Robinson Middle School, and they kind of dared me to do it, and I said ‘hey, if we raise enough money, I’ll jump in!’ It’s for a good cause, the Special Olympics. I’ve been doing the track and field and basketball with them for a while. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s awesome,” Jared Rowley said.